Saudi Arabia's bronze medal in Jiu-Jitsu opens their harvest at the Asian Beach Games
Saudi Arabia began its participation in the 6th Asian Beach Games, held in Sanya, China, by winning its first medal, after Saudi jujitsu athlete Abdulmalik Al-Mardi secured the bronze in the 62kg weight category. This early achievement provides a significant morale boost for the Saudi delegation participating in the Games, which also saw strong starts for other teams, such as beach soccer.
The Asian Beach Games is a major continental sporting event organized by the Olympic Council of Asia every four years, bringing together athletes from across Asia to compete in a variety of beach and water sports. The inaugural Games were held in Bali, Indonesia in 2008, followed by successful editions in cities such as Muscat (2010), Haiyang (2012), Phuket (2014), and Da Nang (2016). These Games aim to promote beach sports and highlight the host coastal cities. The current edition in Sanya comes after a series of postponements due to global circumstances, further increasing anticipation for the competition and the importance of achieving positive results.
This sporting achievement reflects the remarkable progress Saudi sports are witnessing across various disciplines, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which places great emphasis on the sports sector. Winning a medal in Jiu-Jitsu underscores the success of the sports federations' strategy to diversify their focus to include individual and team sports, moving beyond traditionally popular ones. This victory also serves as an incentive for young Saudi athletes to pursue martial arts and other promising sports, and contributes to strengthening the Kingdom's position on the Asian sporting stage.
Saudi Arabia's excellence wasn't limited to jiu-jitsu. The Saudi beach soccer team began its tournament campaign with a resounding and well-deserved 8-4 victory over Thailand in the group stage. In beach volleyball, the Saudi team secured a 2-0 win against Palestine, but lost its second match to Qatar. These competitions benefited from the support and notable presence of the head of the Saudi delegation, His Royal Highness Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, who watched the jiu-jitsu matches, which had a positive impact on the players' morale.
With this strong start, the Saudi delegation looks forward to continuing its medal haul and achieving further successes in the remaining days of the Games. This effective participation underscores the strong presence of Saudi sports on the continental stage and reflects the extensive work and planning undertaken by the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and various sports federations to elevate the level of Saudi athletes and enable them to compete at the highest international levels.
